Description

"So much for explorers naming rights!"

Apollo 8 Flown "Target of Opportunity Flight Chart (ATO)" with
Crew-Named Crater Notations Directly from the Personal Collection
of Mission Command Module Pilot James Lovell, with Signed LOA.
An extremely interesting and historical chart flown aboard man's
first flight to the moon. Measures 57" continuous (taped together-
displays as two sides of 28.5" wide) x 14", a map of the lunar
surface with the seventh revolution tracked, as "Prepared under the
direction of the Department of Defense by the Aeronautical Chart
and Information Center, United States Air Force, for the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration", being "Edition 1, 1 November
1968" for a "21 December 1968 Launch Date". "Lovell" is
written in red ink at bottom margin and there are dozens of
handwritten notations on the map being the names given by Bill
Anders to various craters on the equatorial zone of the moon's far
side before the flight. These were to be used as aids in spotting
landmarks for photographic purposes during the mission. The names
given are generally based on names of astronauts, NASA leaders, and
U.S. locations. As Lovell explains in the accompanying LOA, these
names were submitted to the IAU after the flight for official
recognition but were refused. A fascinating and little known piece
of history. Chart shows signs of use, overall fine.

In 2013, both Bill Anders and James Lovell went public regarding
the IAU not recognizing these crater names by writing letters that
were published in the New Scientist magazine. Anders wrote:
"I was a member of the first crewed flight around the moon. In
training, I chose names for a few of the unnamed craters along our
orbital track. These included America, Kennedy and Houston, as well
as the names of crew (Borman, Lovell and Anders) and NASA
colleagues and leaders. These were recorded on our lunar orbital
map and used during the mission... I thought these names would have
some priority, but when the IAU honoured our crew with crater
names, it picked three craters that were not only well out of sight
of our orbital track, but also in darkness at the time of our
mission. I wrote to the IAU to try to correct this and even
included the flight map. I got brushed off by its bureaucracy - and
never got my map back." Lovell's letter added: "I agree with the
views of my fellow Apollo 8 crew member William Anders on the
naming of lunar landmarks. The International Astronomical Union
(IAU) disregarded his suggestions, even though we discovered the
craters on the far side of the moon." Luckily, Lovell didn't lose
his map and one shrewd bidder can claim it for their own.

Included with this lot is a signed Letter of Certification from
Lovell on his company letterhead stating, in full: "This lunar
flight chart was flown on Apollo 8 and indicated Apollo 8's
projected path around the moon. The craters on the far side were
photographed by NASA's Lunar Orbiter satellite that photographed
the far side in 1966 and 1967. The chart was made from those photos
to help the crew identify craters on the far side. Bill Anders,
Apollo 8's photographer gave names to the far side craters prior to
the flight to help spot them as we observed the far side. After the
flight he submitted the names to the International Astronautical
Union for official recognition. The IAU refused to accept our
suggestions and did the naming themselves. So much for explorers
naming rights! This chart is from my personal collection of space
artifacts and has been in my possession since the mission."

Only 42 days left to consign to the 2018 June 20 Cartography Signature Auction !

Learn about consigning with us

Heritage Auctions and Mr. Chad Reingold were...professional and courteous in all transactions and provided outstanding service in answering my many emails.
I recommend them at the highest level.
Killy M.,Melbourne Beach, FL